Who’s For And Against It

Here’s The Latest On Trump DOGE Dividend Stimulus Check: Who’s For And Against It

In the past 96 hours, the debate over the Trump DOGE Dividend stimulus check—a proposed dividend payment to eligible taxpayers funded by a portion savings from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—has sparked myriad commentary and reactions. Here’s a rundown of the latest updates, featuring direct quotes from key players, summarizing who supports a DOGE stimulus check and who is more of a skeptic.

DOGE Dividend Stimulus Check Supporters:

President Trump On DOGE Dividend Stimulus Check:

• Perhaps most importantly, President Trump has continued to express support for a potential DOGE Dividend stimulus check. At an investment conference last week, he mentioned that his administration is considering the so called “DOGE dividend check” as a way to incentivize people to report wasteful spending. “They’ll be reporting it themselves,” Trump said, according to the Associated Press. “They participate in the process of saving us money.” Later that day, the president told reporters, “I love it” when asked the plan aboard Air Force One.

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Elon Musk On DOGE Dividend Stimulus Check:

• At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last Thursday, Musk analogized the DOGE Dividend stimulus checks to the “spoils of battle” and reiterated Trump’s support, according to Business Insider. “I talked to the president, he’s supportive of that, and so it sounds like that’s something we’re going to do,” Musk said.

White House Advisors On DOGE Dividend Stimulus Check:

• White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, when asked by a reporter when Americans may see DOGE Dividend stimulus checks, said, “it’s all going to be worked on through the reconciliation process with Congress that’s going underway right now. As you’ve seen, the Senate’s moving a bill, the House is moving a bill. The President has great confidence in both chambers to deliver on his priorities.”
• National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told the Washington Examiner, “we’re confident that these measures won’t be inflationary. The checks are designed to boost savings and reduce debt burdens, not to fuel unsustainable consumer spending.”

Neutral On DOGE Dividend Stimulus Check

• Senator Josh Hawley said he generally supported “the principle of taking that money and returning it to the people,” but wanted to see those savings put toward a child tax credit. “That’s what I prefer to do,” Hawley told Business Insider, pointing to the costs borne by families with multiple children. “We ought to direct relief to them, and this would be a great way to fund it.”
• Senator Ted Cruz said he’d “want to see the details” of the plan, according to Business Insider.

Skeptics Of A DOGE Dividend Stimulus Check

Speaker Mike Johnson On A DOGE Dividend Stimulus Check:

• The Speaker of the House “threw cold water” on the idea of a DOGE Dividend stimulus check according to The Hill. When asked about the idea during on the CPAC stage Thursday, Johnson deflected. “Well, look. I mean, politically that would be great for us, you know, it gives everybody a check,” he said. “But if you think about our core principles, right, fiscal responsibility is what we do as conservatives. That’s our brand. And we have a $36 trillion federal debt, we have a giant deficit that we’re contending with. I think we need to pay down the credit card, right?”

Other Members Of Congress Reaction To A Potential DOGE Dividend Stimulus Check:

• Senator Ron Johnson posted on X that he was “happy to it [send a DOGE Dividend stimulus check]” once we balance the budget.” He elaborated in a later post: “I’m always happy to let the American people keep more of their hard-earned money, but DOGE savings should first go toward reducing spending so that inflation doesn’t become the silent tax robbing them of their purchasing power.
• Senator Cynthia Loomis told Scripps News, “I’m very interested in eliminating the debt and the deficit. . . as well as getting inflation under control. So those would be my top priorities for the savings associated with DOGE.” She continued, “If there’s money left after we address inflation, and the debt, and the deficit, it’s always a good idea to send taxpayers their money back. But when we’re $36 trillion in debt, we’ve dug ourselves a pretty big hole.”
• Senator Thom Tillis told Business Insider that “sending checks is not the smartest way to spend savings.”
• Representative Eric Burlison told Maria Bartiromo that the United States is “not in a situation” to dole out DOGE dividend checks.
• Senator Rand Paul said he’s “all for it after they balance the budget,” according to Business Insider.

Pundits Mostly Skeptical On DOGE Dividend Stimulus Check

There is no shortage of skepticism by pundits about DOGE Dividend stimulus checks. Here is just a sampling of commentary.

• The Washington Post came out with an editorial on Sunday arguing, “Donald Trump should abandon the idea of paying DOGE’s savings out to Americans.”
• Jessica Reidl, an economist and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank, told CBS MoneyWatch, that “Washington is facing annual budget deficits that will likely surpass $3 trillion within the next few years. Sending taxpayers dividend [stimulus] checks would be completely irresponsible.” “It is completely impossible for DOGE to save $2 trillion. Two-thirds of the $7 trillion federal budget goes to Social Security, Medicare, defense, veterans and interest on the debt — all of which has been taken off the table by President Trump,” she added.

The Upshot Of A DOGE Dividend Stimulus Check

The Trump DOGE Dividend stimulus check remains a polarizing proposal. Supporters like Trump and Musk see it as a transformative initiative that could inject much-needed savings back into American households—provided it passes through reconciliation and is implemented as designed. On the other hand, voices from Speaker Mike Johnson, academic experts, and leading financial commentators warn that the underlying savings figures are speculative and that such a payout might worsen our fiscal imbalances. Ultimately, what may matter most is what President Trump ultimately wants given his near total control and iron-fisted rule, but the skepticism, including from within the Republican Party, is a signal that Americans shouldn’t count on a DOGE dividend stimulus check just yet.